Haleon appointed Merkle as its lead customer relationship management agency following a competitive review process.

The U.K.-based consumer health company announced that it will partner with the Dentsu subsidiary to establish a first-party data ecosystem and bolster the consumer experience across Haleon’s portfolio of brands. 

This appointment represents an expansion of the relationship between Haleon and Dentsu.

Since 2021, Dentsu Creative U.S. has served as the lead digital and social agency for Haleon brands Tums, Preparation H, Nexium 24HR and Emergen-C.

“Transforming how we connect and resonate with consumers is an imperative for us,” said Haleon U.S. consumer experience lead Lauren Daley. “Advancing our personalization capability through Merkle will enable us to deliver a more tailored experience and empower our consumers on their self-care journey.”

Since spinning off from GSK in mid-2022, Haleon has made a concerted effort to establish itself as one of the world’s leading consumer health companies. In 2023, Haleon recorded revenue of £11.3 billion, an operating profit of £1.9 billion and organic revenue growth of 8%.

Haleon’s advertising and promotion spend last year was flat at actual exchange rates and up 3% at constant currency rates.

Over the course of the last few years, Haleon has engaged with Merkle and other agencies for advertising work. Earlier this year, Haleon named Collectively as its principal U.S. influencer marketing partner.

Just this week, the company’s multivitamin brand Centrum debuted its first line of menopause products and enlisted actor and comedian Lisa Ann Walter to lead the awareness and education push. That campaign was created in partnership with agency partner Edelman.

Per the 2024 MM+M Agency 100, Merkle saw its revenue rise 7% to $178 million in 2023. The company counts Miracle-Ear, Insmed/Alexion, Lundbeck, Sumitomo and Sanofi among its client mainstays. While AbbVie remains a client, Merkle no longer handles CRM for HCPs across the pharma giant’s inline brands. 

“Haleon’s vision is to enable better everyday health with a dose of humanity,” said Pete Stein, global president of Merkle. “We couldn’t be more excited and aligned with that vision, and we look forward to partnering with Haleon to shape the future of personalized health through better, faster, and smarter decisions powered by data.”

The Haleon/Merkle news comes just over a week after AstraZeneca appointed WPP as one of its primary oncology network partners.